Ally's Freedom
by Dr. Michaela Quinn
Summary: 19 year old Ally Barone is heading to Yale for her freshman year of college. She thought being away from home would help her to spread her wings; but will she be able to? Or will the thoughts of home be too much for her?
1. Homesickness

Ally carried the last of her boxes down the stairs.

"Don't drop this box." Ally said sternly as she handed the box to her dad. He walked out the door without saying a word. Debra was holding back tears when she hugged Ally.

"I'll miss you, but I know you will do wonderful at Yale." Ally put her arms around her mom and hugged her back.

"I'll miss you too. We all knew this was going to come." Ally pulled away and walked to the front door with a smile. She turned to face her mom at the end of the couch. "I love you." The door flew open and a hysterical Marie ran in and grabbed Ally and hugged her.

"Don't go! You can't go!" Marie exclaimed. Debra stifled a laugh by putting her hand to her mouth and her shoulders shook. Ally glared at her mom. Ally pulled out of her grandmother's grip.

"Grandma, I have to go to college. I'll be back for Christmas." Ally started to walk away from Marie when Frank and Robert walk in the door. Robert patted her shoulder.

"I know you're leaving soon. We just wanted to stop by and say good luck Ally." Robert said and nodded at her.

"Thanks Uncle Robert." Ally smiled. Michael and Jeffrey came bounding down the stairs.

"Bye Ally." Michael said and then hugged her.

"Bye." Jeffrey hugged her.

"Bye boys." Ally said. Then she looked back at her mom, grandparents, and her uncle. "I really should be going. It's going to be a long drive to Connecticut." Ally walked past her grandma and hugged her grandpa. "Bye Grandpa."

"Bye Ally." Ally walked past her grandpa and through the front door. She walked over to the car where her dad was still loading boxes. He looked at her and hugged her. She hugged him back.

"Bye dad." Ally pulled away and Ray handed her the keys. He didn't speak, probably to keep from tearing up. Ally stood outside the house and took one more look at the home she spent all of her life in. She couldn't remember anything other than this house and now she was leaving. A tear escaped onto her cheek but she wiped it away. She was headed to Yale and couldn't cry. She was an adult; headed for the real world. Ally got into the car and waved at her dad as she pulled out of the driveway and headed towards Connecticut.

[

It was a long drive, but Ally finally made it to Yale with about one hundred and thirty other students. She walked into her room and saw a few boxes from where her roommate had been bringing stuff in. She made trip after trip to get her boxes into her dorm room. Finally, after about an hour she was done unloading the boxes. Then she started unpacking and putting thing on the shelves. There was a bookshelf on each side of the room for the girls, as well as two beds, two dressers, and two desks. Ally opened one of the boxes and saw an old picture that Michael and Jeffrey drew for her. She pressed the picture to her chest. Oh how she missed her brothers. She loved the way they could make her laugh even in the midst of pain. For instance, when her date stood her up for the junior prom, Michael and Jeffrey put on their own prom at home for her. The boys took turns dancing her around the room. Their mom and dad watched them from the kitchen.

Ally put the picture on the desk and took the picture frames out of the box. One had a picture of the whole family; including both sets of her grandparents, Robert, her parents, and the boys. The other one had a picture of Amy and Ally at the wedding. Ally put them both on the desk and continued unpacking. Just then there was a rustle and Ally turned around. There was a girl with shoulder length curly red hair walked in and brushed past her.

"Hi." She said to Ally.

"Hi." Ally replied.

"I'm Mel." The girl said to Ally. Ally nodded.

"I'm Ally." Ally stated and stuck her hand out. The girl stuck her nose up at the handshake.

"Where are you from?" She asked looking at Ally's hand. Ally pulled it back.

"Long Island." Ally replied.

"I'm from L.A." Mel said. "And in L.A. we don't shake hands."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Ally went back to unpacking her boxes.

"What are you here for?" Mel questioned. Ally looked at her.

"I'm not sure yet." Ally paused. "I think I want to be an economist." Mel smiled.

"That's a good field." Mel replied. "Well, I'm going to go for dinner. Wanna come with me?" Ally shook her head no. She looked over at the phone.

"I think I'll stay here and do a few things." Ally stated.

"Alright." Mel replied. She smiled. "I'll be downstairs if you change your mind." She walked out of the room. Ally walked over and sat on the bed. There was a nightstand between the two beds that had the phone on it. She picked it up and dialed. It rang twice before Debra answered it.

"Hello?" Debra asked.

"Hi mom. I just wanted to tell you I got here okay." Ally said.

"Oh alright Ally. Thanks for calling." Debra replied in her calm, easy going way. Ally sighed. "Was that all you wanted?" Ally sunk into the bed.

"Yeah, I think so for now. I'll call back if I need anything later." Ally hung up the phone. She stood up and leaned against the wall. She thought she was ready to be independent. She wanted to do this, to be her own person. But there was something that was keeping her from cutting the apron strings back in Long Island. Ally took one more look at the picture of her family before walking out of the room and heading downstairs.


	2. Mel

Life started getting busier since Ally started school. She didn't have as much time to be homesick with going back and forth to her classes, studying and extracurricular activities on campus. She'd made a lot of new friends and not had as much time to call home.

"Ally?" Her roommate Mel asked as she walked in. Ally looked up from her textbook.

"I'm right here." Ally replied. Mel walked in and closed the door behind her.

"It's Friday night. Get your head out of those books and come with me to the football game." Mel grabbed the book, closed it and tossed it on her bed. She took Ally's hands and helped her off the bed. Ally laughed.

"I would love to go. It sounds like a lot of fun." Ally started to say.

"It will be fun! But it won't be as much fun without you." Mel finished. Ally laughed again.

"I'm sorry, but I have to study. I have a test on Monday." Ally responded.

"Oh, you can study tomorrow. You wanted to make friends don't you? The cool kids go to the football games. They don't stay in their dorm rooms studying. They have fun. Come on girlie." Mel pleaded and Ally smiled slightly.

"Oh alright. I guess a little bit of time out won't hurt my studying." Ally replied. "Let's go." They got up and walked towards the door. Mel opened the door and they walked outside of their dorm room and into the loud crowded hall way. "Where are all these people going?" Ally had to shout over the noise.

"They are going to the game!" Mel yelled over the crowd. She grabbed Ally's arm and they rushed towards the front door of the building. "It sure feels nice out here." Sarah said when they left the dormitory and walked across campus to the football field.

"It smells so good out here. I love the smell of fall." Ally stated.

"That won't be the only thing you'll smell while you're here." Mel smiled, but Ally froze.

"What do you mean by that?" Ally asked and Mel laughed.

"Oh you'll see." Mel wrapped her arm around Ally's shoulders and walked with her into the courtyard after paying for the two of them to get into the game.

This was definitely going to be a time that Ally would remember. She didn't miss her family much at all, but she was worried about what Mel was talking about; but she ignored the churning in her stomach and followed Mel to their seats.


	3. They're Here

"Shut up Marie." Ally heard. She was in bed and thought she dreamed up the whole thing until she opened her eyes and still heard the fighting. That could only be two people she knew- her dad's parents Frank and Marie Barone. Ally waited a few minutes to see if they'd come to the door of her apartment. Sure enough, there was a soft knock on the door. She sighed before standing up and walking into the common room and opening the door. Standing at the door were Ray, Debra, Robert and Amy. She hugged them.

"Mom, dad, Uncle Robert, Aunt Amy," she paused, "where are Grandma and Grandpa?" The four of them shared glances.

"You know they're here?" Debra asked.

"The whole building does mom." Ally replied with a laugh.

"It's early Ally. They were sent outside so their arguing wouldn't wake anybody up." Robert stated. Ally raised her hand.

"Too late."

"Can we come in? I've never been to your place" Amy asked and Ally nodded.

"Sure, come in." She stepped out of the way and the family walked in. "Where are Michael and Jeffrey?"

"They wanted to stay at home. The boys knew your grandparents were coming." Debra said. She shook her head.

"I know." Ally said. Ally went to her bedroom.

"I'm changing clothes so we can all go out for breakfast."

"Alright. It was a long drive to Connecticut Miss Ally." Ray said.

"Ray!" Debra exclaimed. He shrugged and she slapped him. Ally had missed her family. She walked back into the living room area in jeans and a powder blue sweater.

"That goes great with your eyes Ally." Amy said.

"Come on. Let's go." The five of them walked out to the Barone's car.

"It'll be a tight fit. Should I go with Grandma and Grandpa?" Ally asked. Debra looked at Ray.

"Where are your folks?"

"I don't know!"

"You're supposed to be watching them." Debra said. Ray glared at Debra.

"Let's just get out of here. You alright with that Ally?" Ray asked.

"Sure."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

They had been gone an hour, when they got back and found a note from campus security.

"Security?" Amy asked. Ally's eyes skimmed the note and she sighed.

"What's wrong?" Debra asked.

"Grandma and Grandpa." Ally handed Ray the note and he read it.

"Dad!" He hollered.

"What is it Ray?" Robert asked. Ray looked at them.

"Mom and Dad were arguing so much that they were taken in from campus security. We have to go get them before they'll let them out." Ally nodded.

"Sure, let's go." Robert said. Ally led them through to campus security. There was screaming and hollering all the way down the hallway.

"Yeah, they're here." Raymond said. They walked into the office and one officer bumped into them. He'd been hollering at Marie and Frank.

"What do you want?"

"We're here for the feuding duo." The man sighed.

"Good. They are banned from this campus. If I could ban them from Connecticut I would!"

"Sir, I'm on NYPD. What happened?" Robert asked showing him his badge.

"They fought and fought, even insulting two other officers. Get them out of here!" It took a few minutes, but finally Marie and Frank were released from security and were on their way out to the car with Robert and Ray.

"I'm sorry Ally." Debra said.

"Me too." Amy stated. Ally nodded and hugged both of them.

"It's okay. I'm used to it by now. I love you." With a kiss on the cheek and a goodbye Ally's family left and she walked into the now quieted apartment building. She was glad to finally be out of that crazy nut house.


	4. Freedom

Ally sat in the living room for hours before Mel got up. Mel walked in dragging her feet, rubbing her eyes, yawning with her hair sticking up all over her head. When she raised her hand over her head she saw Ally.

"Hi Ally."

"Hey Mel." Ally sighed. Mel looked at her.

"How long have you been up?"

"Long enough to eat breakfast with my parents and have my grandparents escorted off campus." Mel opened her eyes wide.

"Oh." Then she walked into the bathroom leaving the door open.

"Door, Mel."

"I don't care." Ally shrugged. Some people just aren't early risers. It didn't help that Mel smoke marijuana and a few other things with her "friends." Ally looked down at the book in her lap. She had a Psychology test in a few days and she needed to make sure she knew she was prepared. Finally, Mel walked out of the bathroom and poured herself a cup of coffee and sat in the living room. "Quite a pick me up. Coffee with just a hint of vodka. My own special blend." Mel smiled.

"Should you really be drinking?" Mel glared at Ally.

"Listen kid. You may have had the easy life on Long Island, but the big fish swim here."

"Easy?" Ally scoffed. "My grandparents were just escorted off campus by security. I wouldn't exactly call that easy. My childhood wasn't hard, but I've gotten a dose of the real world." Mel laughed.

"My father left when I was six. I took up smoking when I was seven because my mother smoked. She died when I was fifteen and that's when I started drinking. My great aunt took me into her home and she's paying for my education. Unlike you coming from a wonderful home in Long Island; I lived on the streets of Brooklyn from the time I was six until I was fifteen."

"Why did your mom buy cigarettes, but not find a place to live?" Mel whirled around to look at Ally.

"How dare you judge my mother? You don't even know her!" Mel stormed out slamming the door behind her. Before Ally could blink twice, the door opened. Mel whisked in from the doorway to her bedroom. She wouldn't go out looking like she just got up.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The phone rang and Ally picked it up after two rings. She put her textbook on the coffee table.

"Hello?"

"Ally?" A female voice chimed.

"Aunt Amy?" She asked. Ally could tell by Amy's tone that she was smiling. She loved her aunt because she was bright and upbeat compared to the rest of the family.

"I was wondering if it'd be alright if mom and I came to see you. I know it's not the same as having your family though." Ally smiled.

"You are my family. More normal than my own family probably." Ally replied and Amy laughed.

"We do have some interesting family on the Barone side don't we?" Amy giggled.

"At least yours is only marriage. My relationship is blood." Ally paused. "I'll see you whenever you all feel like coming up. I know you were here for breakfast earlier."

"Thank you Ally." She paused. "You've really grown up since I met you." Ally chuckled.

"I was just a child Aunt Amy. Now I'm a grown adult." She sat there and thought about that. She's out on her own in the adult world for the first time. She was experiencing a taste of freedom and she had only been out a little under six months. This would be the ride of a lifetime.

**A/N: This is the last chapter of the story. Hope you enjoyed it:) I know it's short, but sometimes stories just are.**


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